Circular loom



Feb 15, 1938. F. c. HALE CIRCULAR LOOM Filed May 16, 1936 FRANK C- HALE nvvavron ATORN s Patented Feb. 15, 1938 Frankfiorbyn Hal, S pondon, near Derby, England, assignor to Celanes'e Co'rporaticn of America, a corporation of Dclaware Application May 16,

193i," seen No. 80.17%

In Great Britain July 2, 1935 2 Claims.

This invention relates to circular looms, and has particular reference to shuttle-supporting means of the type in which vane wheels mounted for rotation at one side of a shuttle pass through 5 the warp sheet at that side of the shuttle to make engagement with the shuttle at positions spaced apart with respect to the length of the shuttle, the slots between the vanes providing during rotation of the wheels for the threads of that sheet of warps to pass the wheels, while the engagement of the vane wheels with the shuttle secures the relative circular motion between shuttle and warps necessary for circular weaving. Shuttle-holding means of this type are described in U. S. Patent No. 2,050,328, according to which rubbing contact between the vane wheels and the shuttle body is substantialy avoided, flanged rollers being provided in the shuttle body for engagement with the vane wheels. usually a pair of vane wheels toengage each flanged roller,

According to the present invention support is provided by rollers disposed at two points spaced apart on the side of the shuttle remote from the vane wheels to bear against a circular race disposed at that side of the shuttle so as to provide two thrusts to oppose the thrust of the spaced vane wheels. The rollers are advantageously disposed symmetrically with respect to the vane wheels, e. g. immediately opposite the vane wheels.

By this shuttle mounting, the tendency of the shuttle to rock is much diminished, with consequent improvement in the running of the loom, and life of the vane wheels and shuttle mechanism, and lessening of the danger of the warp threads being cut.

Usually the space available requires that the rollers should be small in diameter, but by the provision of self-oiling bushes in the rollers, or by the use of needle bearings, small diameter rollers capable of very high speeds of rotation can be satisfactorily accommodated.

The race with which the rollers engage is inclined, the rollers having a corresponding inclination, so as to assist in taking the weight of the shuttle.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with respect to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a shuttle and. its vane-wheel mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

There is Fig. 3 is a plan view corresponding to Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is a detail of Fig. 2 to a larger scale.

The shuttles l are held within warp sheds comprising inner and outer warp sheets 2, 3 formed by any suitable shedding means (not shown). Outside the shuttle circle are shafts 4, lying at their right-hand ends opposite the shuttles I and extending to the left parallel to tangents of the shuttle circle. Each shaft 4 carries two pairs of vane wheels 5, which penetrate the outer warp sheet 3 so as to engage rollers. 6 freely mounted on horizontal axes I in the shuttle body at heights above and below the height of the shaft 4. Each shuttle is thus supported at four points on its outer side.

Inside the shuttle circle lies the circular race 8, having an inclined face with a rubber covering 9. Opposite each pair of vane wheels a roller I0 is mounted in the shuttle body on a pivot ll parallel to the face of the race 8. Self-oiling or oilless bushes l2 avoid the necessity for lubricating the rollers Ill.

The rollers It bear against the race 8, the inner warp sheet 2 passing between the rollers and the race. Each shuttle is thus supported on its inner side at two points at a height intermediate the heights of the rollers 5, the tWopoints providing for two symmetrically applied thrusts to oppose the thrusts of the vane wheels 5.

Each shuttle is thus nipped at two positions in its length by a pair of vane wheels 5 and by the race 8 engaging the corresponding roller I I). The shuttle is thus held steadily and prevented from undue rocking movement about a vertical axis, which improves the weft-laying of the'several shuttles, gives smoother rolling of the vane wheel peripheries on the rollers 6, and generally adds to the performance of the loom.

The shafts 4 are carried by columns I3 mounted on a ring l4 rotatable about the axis of the loom. Bevel gears l5 connect the shafts 4 with shafts l6 inside the columns [3, the shafts l6 terminating in pinions I! that mesh with a stationary annular gear 58, so that as the ring [4 is rotated (by means not shown) the vane wheel shafts 4 are rotated.

As the vane wheels 5 are carried by the ring [4 round the axis of the loom, they press against flanges [9 of the rollers 6 in the shuttles I and cause the shuttles to be propelled round the loom at the same speed as the ring M. The rollers l0 rotate freely over the warps 2 lying between them slots between the vanes to the threads of the outer warp sheet 3 and allows those threads to pass the vane wheels.

The bodies of the rollers 6 may be made of slightly resilient material, e. g. fabric impregnated with synthetic resin and blocked to form a material capable of being machined. The flanges l9 are preferably of metal, as are the vane wheels.

Having described my invention what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Circular loom of the type described, wherein each shuttle is positioned by means of vane wheels making engagement with one side of the shuttle at positions spaced apart with respect to the length of the shuttle and by means of a pair of rollers also spaced apart with respect to the length of the shuttle at positions providing for both rollpositions spaced apart with respect to the length 10 of the shuttle and by means of a pair of rollers also spaced apart with respect to the length of the shuttle and a circular race against which the rollers bear on the side of the shuttle remote from the vane wheels, the rollers being disposed imme- 15 diately opposite to the vane wheels.

FRANK CORBYN HALE. 

